Study: Popularity of four-period day at BHS is growing

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

May 21, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

The Bemidji School Board's decision to switch Bemidji High School to a four-period day has had either a small, positive effect or no effect at all on students' test scores, attendance records and dropout rates, consultants told the board at Monday's meeting.

Russ Bennett and James Rafferty, Bemidji State University professors hired by the district in 1995 to evaluate the four-period day, presented information collected from the two school years, 1994-95 and 1995-96, since the board decided to switch the High School from a six-period day to a four-period day. Test scores, surveys and other data from the 1996-97 school year have not yet been collected, they said.

According to Bennett, two types of information has been gathered for the ongoing study. First, a survey on 20 issues about the switch was given to High School teachers, 75 students from each grade level and to parents of each of the 75 kids chosen, and used to obtain subjective information about the switch.

Objective information was measured by comparing various test scores, attendance records and the school's drop-out rate between years prior to the switch and the two years after the switch.

"The subjective measures are really, extremely positive, and they are even more positive the second year," said Rafferty, describing what he thought the information indicates. "In total, they suggest no change or some improvement (in the school's operations), and in some cases we need more data to tell."

According to survey results, all three groups -- parents, teachers and students -- favored the four-period day since its inception, and its popularity seems to be growing, Bennett said. For instance, in the first year's survey, teachers rated 78 percent of the 20 issues concerning the four-period day as equivalent or better than 73 percent of the issues as better or equivalent the first year, and parents rated 78 percent of the issues the same. In 1996, all three groups' satisfaction ratings seemed also to be high.

The only issue considered problematic by the groups was the opportunities by the groups was the opportunities students have to make up work when a class is missed. The groups believe the issue needs to be addressed because four periods leave less opportunity for make-up work to be done, Bennett said.

As for objective data, Rafferty said Advanced Placement test scores dropped during the first year of the four-period day, but rebounded to levels prior to its inception. ACT and SAT test scores both had been declining prior to implementing the four-period day, but they to increase thereafter.

In addition, the second year the four-period day was implemented saw the fewest students dropping out of the school and the fewest incidents resulting in student suspensions of any of the years studied, Rafferty said, but not enough data has been collected yet to suggest a correlation between the switch and those results.

The information also showed increases in grade point averages for some classes, few measurable changes in Iowa Tests of Basic Skills scores and a decrease in attendance levels, Rafferty said, but all of the information was still "highly" tentative.

"It is good for those of us who were skeptical (of the switch) to see the sky is not falling," board member Neil Skogerboe said. "The four-period day has shown that it hasn't been a problem academically."

In other business, the board:

• Accepted the confirmation of three retiring teachers.

• Approved the district's proposed harassment, violence and discrimination and conditional behavior interventions policies.

• Approved a letter of support for the upstart Junior Achievement project at Lincoln School.

• Rejected amending the 1997-98 school calendar by moving graduation back to its traditional Memorial Day weekend date. Graduation will be held May 30 next year.

• Awarded certificates of recognition to North Country Regional Hospital, the employees of L&M Fleet Supply and Assistant Superintendent Jerry Abbott for their actions during a recent Bemidji school bus crash.

• Appointed board members Carolyn Jacobs and Diane Corcoran to a committee comprised of School Board, Bemidji City Council and Beltrami County Board members.